Take Care How You Frame the World

I want to talk about framing. Not framing a house. Framing reality. Framing refers to how we see things. Because we don’t just see things; we see things as. If you see a bear, you don’t just see a bear. You see the bear as dangerous. If you’re on a walk and see a sunset, you don’t just see the sunset; you see the sunset as beautiful. That’s what I mean by framing. We see things as.

And not just sight. Our other senses as well. We hear the buzzing of a fly as annoying. We hear the laughter of a child as delightful. Framing has to do with the immediate and snap judgments that we make about reality and its relation to us.

And our framing is not static. The laughter that is delightful at one time is a nuisance and frustration at another (because you’re trying to get some work done). The laughter is the same; the framing—your snap judgment—is different.

We’re always framing, and it’s good that we do. It’s what keeps us alive. “Bear as dangerous” is why you jump in the car and drive away when you see one.

But our snap judgments lead to snap reactions, and those reactions are not always good. Your spouse makes an observation; you make a snap judgment—“comment as insult”—and you react with your own insulting comment, and the situation escalates. You see the two places you could go wrong: was your snap judgment correct? And was your snap reaction appropriate?

You can think of many other examples. Was that question from your coworker simply a request for information? Or was it a subtle shot at your ignorance? Your friends go out one night and don’t invite you. Did they simply forget or intentionally leave you out? Snap judgment, snap reaction.

And you can see how our snap judgments and reactions—our framing—set us on a path. They didn’t invite me. They intentionally left me out. They don’t want to be around me. They’ve rejected me as their friend. And with every judgment, a corresponding reaction, which together make the frame sturdier.

My exhortation is twofold. First, be compassionately curious about framing, both yours and others. I reacted because I made a snap judgment. Why did I make that judgment? Was that an appropriate reaction? My spouse/child/friend reacted because they made a snap judgment about me. Why did they make that judgment? How can I love them through it?

Second, don’t be conformed to the pattern of this world. In other words, don’t frame reality the way the world frames reality. Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That’s why you’ve come to worship today—so that your mind can be renewed such that you frame reality the way that God does.

This reminds us of our need to confess our sins.